LongShot

LongShot 2.0 Now Available!

Including a bunch of new features such as: multiple calculation methods, Night Mode, a Timer Warning and a completely rebuilt Apple Watch app. Grab it now from the AppStore!

You may notice from my photos on this site that I am a bit of a fan of long exposure photography. Along the way, I've tried a number of tools/methods for calculating settings for this sort of photography, but never really found exactly what I wanted.

So I built something myself!

What is it?

LongShot lets you quickly, easily and accurately calculate settings for low light or long exposure photography, when the limits of your camera’s exposure meter are exceeded. It runs on Apple Watch, iPhone and iPad (sorry - no Android as yet!).

Using LongShot

There are many interesting effects you can achieve with long exposure photography: create silky waterfalls, turn breaking surf into mysterious fog, invoke movement in clouds - even make people disappear! Here you can see one example of LongShot in action and the end result. To see more examples, take a look at my Long Exposure gallery.

If you are using ND filters, there is no need to remember stop-reductions, ND ratings, etc. Nor do you need to carry around a complicated chart like this one with you.

Just take some quick test shots, find the exposure you like, then let LongShot work the rest out for you.

Why did I build it?

I designed LongShot with the Apple Watch in mind. After spending many a cold morning on a windswept clifftop, calculating an exposure with my iPhone, trying desperately not to drop it into the sea below - the ability to do this hands free seemed a no-brainer!

I was also frustrated with other tools I had tried. They were either overly complicated, not very user friendly, or required me to remember the different ND ratings or effective exposure stops of my filters - something which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and from filter to filter! I wanted something easier.

Features

Uses 1/3 stop EV values, giving you more granular control

Calculates shutter speed, aperture or ISO – whichever you choose

Built-in timer is set to your chosen shutter speed, so you are ready to shoot immediately

LongShot on Apple Watch works seamlessly with its iPhone counterpart

Last used settings are remembered between devices

Start a timer on iPhone and pick it up on Apple Watch – or vice versa

Alerts intelligently delivered to whichever device you are using

Works the same regardless of the number or type of filters being used

No need to remember ND ratings of your filters

No need to calculate exposure stop equivalents for each filter

No need to add values together if filter stacking

If you are new to long exposure photography, or want to learn more about it, there are plenty of great tutorials on the web, such as this one by renowned Fine Art/Architectural B&W photographer Joel Tjintjelaar. He uses the technique a lot in his work. If you have downloaded LongShot yourself, and have any comments or feedback, I would love to hear about it. Drop me a line via the 'Contact' link on the main menu.